An atom interferometer is an interferometer based on exploiting the wave character of atoms. Atom interferometers are often used to make high-precision measurements of forces, such as those due to acceleration, rotation or magnetic fields. Typically, atom interferometers based on laser-cooled atoms require several lasers because of the need for several frequencies of light. These frequencies include the cooling frequency (near to a cycling atomic resonance), a repump frequency, and two frequencies far from the atomic cycling frequency, but whose frequency difference equals the atomic ground state frequency separation (Raman frequencies #1 and #2).
Typically atom interferometers using laser cooled atoms require up to four lasers to generate the required four frequencies. Furthermore, these lasers must be frequency stabilized, which requires complicated electronic feedback systems for each individual laser. Thus, there is a need to make the method and apparatus less complicated, smaller, and less expensive.